Dot-matrix product information encoding for food traceability

ABSTRACT

A method for encoding dot-matrix product information method includes identifying, via a processor, a dot-matrix grid size. The method further includes evaluating, via the processor, one or more dot pattern variation levels. In some aspects, the method includes retrieving, via the processor, an encoding structure indicative of a plurality of product information attributes. The method also includes determining, via the processor, whether an alpha-numeric digit at a dot pattern variation level can include a plurality of product information. The method further includes outputting, via the processor, a dot pattern code map. In some aspects, the dot pattern code map is indicative of a relationship between each of the product information attributes and the plurality of values for each of the product information attributes.

DOMESTIC PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/404,741, entitled “DOT-MATRIX PRODUCT INFORMATION ENCODING FOR FOODTRACEABILITY,” filed Jan. 12, 2017, the contents of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to product information encoding, and morespecifically, to dot-matrix product information encoding.

Food traceability is important to food safety. A key to tracking &tracing food in the distribution chain is recordation of productinformation adequately throughout the distribution chain. Tracking &tracing codes for food products are commonly printed on food packagingusing dot-matrix printing, which may become partially or completelyunreadable during the manufacturing and/or distribution process.

SUMMARY

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, acomputer-implemented method for encoding dot-matrix product informationis described. The described method includes identifying, via aprocessor, a dot-matrix grid size. The method further includesevaluating, via the processor, one or more dot pattern variation levels.In some aspects, the method includes retrieving, via the processor, anencoding structure indicative of a plurality of product informationattributes. The method also includes determining, via the processor,whether an alpha-numeric digit at a dot pattern variation level caninclude a plurality of product information. The method further includesoutputting, via the processor, a dot pattern code map. In some aspects,the dot pattern code map is indicative of a relationship between each ofthe product information attributes and the plurality of values for eachof the product information attributes.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a systemfor encoding dot-matrix product information is described. The describedsystem includes a processor configured to identify a dot pattern gridsize. The processor can also be configured to evaluate one or more dotpattern variation levels. The processor may be further configured toretrieve an encoding structure indicative of a plurality of productinformation attributes. In some aspects, the processor may determinewhether an alpha-numeric digit at a dot pattern variation level caninclude the plurality product information attributes. The processor isalso configured to output a dot pattern code map. The dot pattern codemap is indicative of a relationship between each of the productinformation attributes and the plurality of values for each of theproduct information attributes.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, acomputer program product for encoding dot-matrix product information isdescribed. The computer program product includes a computer readablestorage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. Theprogram instructions are executable by a processor to cause theprocessor to perform a method. The method includes identifying, via aprocessor, a dot-matrix grid size. The method further includesevaluating, via the processor, one or more dot pattern variation levels.In some aspects, the method includes retrieving, via the processor, anencoding structure indicative of a plurality of product informationattributes. The method also includes determining, via the processor,whether an alpha-numeric digit at a dot pattern variation level caninclude a plurality of product information. The method further includesoutputting, via the processor, a dot pattern code map. In some aspects,the dot pattern code map is indicative of a relationship between each ofthe product information attributes and the plurality of values for eachof the product information attributes.

According to one or more embodiments, another computer-implementedmethod for encoding dot-matrix product information is described. Thedescribed method includes outputting, via a processor, a request foruser input indicative of a dot pattern grid size. The method alsoincludes receiving, via the processor, user input and evaluating one ormore dot pattern variation levels. The method further includesoutputting a request for user input indicative of a plurality of productinformation attributes. In some aspects the method includes receiving,via the processor, plurality of product information attributes. Themethod can also include creating, via the processor, for everyalpha-numeric digit, an encoding structure, wherein the encodingstructure is indicative of a plurality of product information attributesand a plurality of values for each of the product informationattributes. The method further includes outputting, via the processor, adot pattern code map, wherein the dot pattern code map is indicative ofa relationship between each of the product information attributes andthe plurality of values for each of the product information attributes.

According to one or more embodiments, another computer-implementedmethod for encoding dot-matrix product information is described. Thedescribed method includes retrieving, via the processor, an encodingstructure indicative of a plurality of product information attributesand a plurality of values for each of the product informationattributes. The method also includes evaluating, via the processor,dot-matrix grid size. The method further includes determining, via theprocessor, whether an alpha-numeric digit at a dot pattern variationlevel can the plurality product information attributes. In some aspects,the method further includes outputting, via the processor, a dot patterncode map based on the minimum dot-matrix grid size. The dot pattern codemap is indicative of a relationship between each of the productinformation attributes and the plurality of values for each of theproduct information attributes. In other aspects, each alpha-numericdigit can encode all of the plurality of product information attributes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary dot-matrix tracking information, accordingto one embodiment;

FIG. 2 depicts an altered dot-matrix tracking information, according toone embodiment;

FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary variation for the alpha-numeric digit “0”using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3B depicts an another exemplary variation for the alpha-numericdigit “0” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 depicts a plurality of exemplary variations for the alpha-numericdigit “0” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 depicts a plurality of exemplary variations for the alpha-numericdigit “1” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary encoding scheme for a production date,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary method for encoding dot-matrix productinformation, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary tree diagram for determining whether anumeric digit can include a maximum number of encoded dot patternvalues, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method 900 for encodingdot-matrix product information, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary method for decoding dot-matrix productinformation, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 11 depicts another exemplary method for decoding dot-matrix productinformation, according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 12 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary computing environmentand computer system, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some geographic regions require food and drug production facilities tohave systems in place to provide a trail of information that followseach item through the supply chain. To ensure food and drug safety andefficient recalls, some manufacturers must be able to identify andlocate any item in the food supply chain and quickly trace back itssource one or more steps in the supply chain, in and trace forward toits destination one or more steps. A standard and widely used format andmethod for printing product tracking information is dot-matrix. Theproduct tracking information can include information such asmanufacturer, product identification, lot number, expiry information,and even a unique serial number on virtually any finished good.

In product tracking systems that track food manufacturing anddistribution, dot-matrix product information printed on productpackaging may become damaged or be altered. Tainted food products becomeuntraceable when a portion of its dot-matrix product information isdestroyed. FIG. 1 depicts exemplary dot-matrix tracking information 102,according to one embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, productinformation 102 can include a date portion 104 (which is, in thisexample, Jan. 1, 2010) and a code portion 106.

Date portion 104 can include calendar date information indicating aproduction (manufacturing) date, an expiration date, or otherdate-related information.

Code portion 106 may include various encoded numbers and letters, whichrepresent various manufacturing and distribution stream record such asplace of origin, production unit, packaging line, task identification,hours and minutes timestamp, etc. The particular meaning or arrangementof code portion 106 varies according to the manufacturer or distributor.For example, one or more digits may identify a place of origin, the nextdigit may signify the particular packaging line, the next digit maysignify a task serial number, etc. In some countries, food products maynot be legally sold without tracking information intact. Nevertheless,some product tracking information may include one or more altereddigits, as shown in altered code information 108. Most resellers, willnot buy or sell items without production date information, but may allowproducts having the code portion 106 altered or destroyed. That is tosay, regardless of local laws to the contrary, resellers may sellillegally obtained items that appear to be safe (because they are withintheir stated expiration period), but their origin cannot be accuratelydetermined because the code portion 106 has been obscured.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to encoding anddecoding a full dataset of tracking information in the date portion ofdot-matrix printed product tracking information, which may preserve allproduct tracking information in one or more digits of a dot-matrixprinted date. According to one or more embodiments, tracking informationis encoded into the date portion of dot-matrix printed product trackinginformation by varying the patterns of the dots (i.e., the dot patterns)that are used to form the digits that make up the production datereflected in the production data portion of the dot-matrix printedproduct tracking information. For example, according to someembodiments, a production date may be encoded to include additionalproduction attributes (such as place of origin, packaging line, taskserial number, etc.), using dot-matrix dot pattern variations, which canbe subsequently decoded to reveal the corresponding expanded productinformation. Dot-matrix printed alpha-numerics may take various formsdepending on the dot-matrix grid size used for printing. FIG. 2 depictsvarious alpha-numeric digits printed using a plurality of dot-matrixsizes. Referring now to FIG. 2, each grid size shows an exemplaryresolution for the printed digits. For example, a 5×5 grid size 202 iscomposed of 5 dots horizontally and 5 dots vertically. A 5×5 grid sizecreates a relatively low resolution digit when printing smaller digits(shown as “4 LINE” digits 204). On the other extreme, a 24×24 grid size206 is formed with 24 dots horizontally and 24 dots vertically. As shownon 24×24 grid size 206 in FIG. 2, a larger grid size creates relativelyhigh resolution digits, where each digit (e.g., digit 208) is composedof a 24×24 dots in the matrix.

As shown in FIG. 2, the smaller grid sizes (e.g., 5×5 grid size 202, 7×5grid size 210, and 9×7 grid size 212) use fewer dots in the matrix toform the digit. FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary variation 300 for thealpha-numeric digit “0” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according toone embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 3A, in a 7×5 grid size as shown invariation 300, the “0” can be represented using the outer edge dots 302in the grid. Although the variation shown in FIG. 3A depicts the cornerdots 304 as empty, it would not be difficult to read the numeral if thecorner dots 304 were also black (not shown).

FIG. 3B depicts an another exemplary variation 306 for the alpha-numericdigit “0” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment.As shown in variation 306, the dots missing are middle edge dots 308 andcorner dots 310. Using variation 306 it is still not difficult todiscern that the digit represented is a “0.” Notably, the dot patternvariation 300 for “0” shown in FIG. 3A is unique from the dot patternvariation 306 for “0” shown in FIG. 3B, because the missing dots 304 arein different locations of the matrix grid.

FIG. 4 depicts a plurality of exemplary variations for the alpha-numericdigit “0” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment.The dot pattern 404 is differentiated from the dot pattern 406 by themiddle dot at the top and bottom of the dot pattern that is used torepresent the digit “0.” More particularly, the dot pattern 406 ismissing only the top middle and bottom middle dots, whereas the dotpattern 404 is missing only the corner dots. The dot pattern 410 issimilar to the dot pattern shown with respect to FIG. 3B. The dotpatterns 408 and 412-418, although not exhaustive, demonstrate differentways that the alpha-numeric dot-matrix digit “0” may be representedusing this particular grid size. Notably, the fewer dots used torepresent each particular dot pattern, the more distortion in that dotpattern. More dot patterns with less distortion can be achieved for acomplex (i.e., higher-order) dot-matrix such as a 12×12 dot-matrix gridsize.

When the grid size is relatively small (e.g., 7×5), the number ofdifferent dot pattern configurations or variations that are available torepresent a particular digit is fewer than the number of ways availableto represent the same digit using a larger grid size. For example,referring again to FIG. 2, using the 5×5 grid size, the firstalpha-numeric digit “0” has significantly fewer dot pattern variationsavailable to it than the “0” shown in the 24×24 grid size, simplybecause of the number of dots in each respective grid are fewer. FIG. 5depicts a plurality of exemplary variations for the alpha-numeric digit“1” using a 7×5 dot-matrix grid size, according to one embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 5, dot patterns 502-518 are readily identifiable as thedigit “1,” but dot patterns 520-524 become increasingly distorted asmore and more dots are omitted in the dot-matrix grid.

Accordingly, although a plurality of dot patterns exists, the usable dotpatterns for the purpose of the digit being human-readable may be fewer.For each digit 0-9, it can be said that there are a finite number ofidentifiable (human-readable) dot pattern variations of the dot-matrixprinted digit available, which are a function of the particular digitand the grid size. More particularly, for each alpha numeric digitprinted in dot-matrix form, there exists a maximum number of dot patternvariations available, where not all dot patterns (e.g., dot patterns520-524) are usable. There also exists a minimum number of dot patternsavailable, all of which are readily readable with minimal distortion.

According to some embodiments, a dot-matrix dot pattern variation levelis indicative of the minimum number of dot pattern variations availablefor a particular alpha-numeric digit, and is signified by the letter“k.” Stated in other terms, for all alpha-numeric digits printable in aparticular dot-matrix grid size, there are at least “k” unique ways(i.e., dot patterns) to represent any one digit respective to thedot-matrix grid size. According to some embodiments, the value of dotpattern variation level k is different for each dot-matrix grid size. Inother aspects, the value of dot matrix variation level k may also differwith respect to a particular font used.

According to some embodiments, a product information attribute canindicate product manufacturing information. For example, productinformation attributes may indicate a place of origin, a productiondate, a production unit, a packaging line, a task serial number, a batchnumber, an inspector identification number, etc. Where eachalpha-numeric digit has k unique ways (i.e., dot pattern variations) ofrepresenting the digit using a dot-matrix of a particular grid size, twodigits used together may represent k×k unique attributes. For example,referring back to FIG. 1, according to some embodiments, date portion104 may encode a plurality of attributes using dot-matrix dot patternvariations, which can be decoded to reveal all of the productinformation 102 even if a code portion 106 (describing one or moreinformation attributes) has been altered or destroyed. FIG. 6 depicts anexemplary encoding scheme for a production date, according to oneembodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the date portion 104 is depicted partitionedinto five product information portions 602-610. In some aspects, eachpartition contains between one and three digits. Although groupings ofone to three digits are represented in FIG. 6, it should be appreciatedthat any number of digits or groupings are possible. The grouping of thepartitions is decided by the number of different ways each attributeneeds to be represented. For example, product information portion 602can represent a place of origin. In this case, there may be k×kdifferent places of origin that are recordable using a particular gridsize of 7×5. If product information portion 604 includes 1 digit, thenthere are a total number of k products encodable with this scheme. Ifproduct information portion 606 represents the attribute “uniquepackaging line,” then there are k packaging lines (or less) that may berepresented with portion 606. If portion 610 represents a time stamp,then there are k×k×k possible time stamps available for encoding.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary method 700 for encoding dot-matrix productinformation, according to one or more embodiments. Referring now to FIG.7, after an initial start step 702, in block 702, a processor (e.g.,processor 1201, FIG. 12) identifies or receives a dot-matrix grid size.

In block 704, processor 1201 evaluates a dot pattern variation level ofthe dot-matrix based on the dot-matrix grid size. Dot-matrix grid sizeis determined based on the size of alpha-numeric characters needed forthe printed information, and the amount of information to be encoded inthe date portion, among other factors. In some aspects, the dot-matrixdot pattern variation level is indicative of a minimum k number ofpossible dot pattern variations of a digit that are human-readable usingthe dot-matrix grid size.

In block 706, processor 1201 retrieves an encoding structure, where theencoding structure is indicative of a plurality of product informationattributes and a plurality of values for each of the plurality ofproduct information attributes. The encoding structure may be stored onan operatively connected storage medium, or may be input by a user. Forexample, if a food company wants to protect information indicative of aplant, a line number, an operator, and a detailed packing time, thereare 4 attributes to protect. If there are currently 14 plants, eachplant has 5-10 lines, each line may be operated by 4-5 people, and thetotal detailed packing time contains 144 slots in a day, the number ofvalues necessary to encode each respective attribute are 14 (plant), 10(line number), 5 (operator), and 144 (detailed packing time).

In block 708, processor 1201 can determine whether an alpha-numericdigit can include a maximum number of encoded dot pattern values for theplurality product information attributes. In some aspects, the maximumnumber of encoded dot pattern values for the plurality productinformation attributes is less than or equal to the number of theplurality of values for each of the product information attributes.Processor 1201 may determine if the dot-matrix grid size has enough dotpattern variations to cover the information that needs to be protected.

For example, if there are 8 digits in the date portion (the total numberof digits available for encoding information) and each digit can have kdot pattern variations, and there are M production attributes thatrequire recording, the number of values the i^(th) attribute can take isdenoted by L_(i). For each combination, processor 1201 can examine ifthere exist a feasible allocation of M attributes such that the productof the elements of the attribute value in each group is less than therelevant k^(n). For this evaluation, processor 1201 may rank L_(i) andtry to find the maximum product of several L_(i) values so that theproduct is still less than k^(n) (starting from a smaller value of n).Processor 1201 may evaluate whether k⁸ is greater than or equal toL₁×L₂× . . . ×L_(M). If k⁸ is indeed greater than or equal to L₁×L₂× . .. ×L_(M), then it is known that the maximum number of encoded dotpattern values is greater than a number of the plurality of values foreach of the product information attributes. Next, processor 1201determines whether or not to encode which product information attributeor group of attributes to which digit or group of digits.

In one aspect, processor 1201 all production information attributes maybe encoded into all digits. For example, assume we have 8 digits andk=2. Assume that we want to encode 3 attributes: a state of production,where there are three choices of California (CA), Texas (TX) and Florida(FL), a plant number (where each state has 3 plants), and a work shiftnumber (where each plant works 3 shifts). That is M=3 and L₁=L₂=L₃=3.Let's also denote variation #1 of the i^(th) digit i_1 and the othervariation of the i^(th) digit i_2. Accordingly, in this example, k⁸=512and L₁×L₂× . . . ×L_(M)=27, and thus, the former is greater than thelatter.

In another example, a solution is to use all 8 digits to represent the27 variations of attributes. For example, we can let (1_1, 2_1, 3_1,4_1, 5_1, 6_1, 7_1, 8_1) denote (CA, plant 1, work shift 1), (1_1, 2_1,3_1, 4_1, 5_1, 6_1, 7_1, 8_2) denote (CA, plant 1, work shift 2), (1_1,2_1, 3_1, 4_1, 5_1, 6_1, 7_2, 8_1) denote (CA, plant 1, work shift 3),(1_1, 2_1, 3_1, 4_1, 5_1, 6_1, 7_2, 8_2) denote (CA, plant 2, work shift1), etc. A drawback of this simplified solution is that all digits needto be evaluated to get some information. For example, in theabovementioned solution, we can not tell the work shift number withoutevaluating all the 8 digits.

As another example, let the 1^(st) and 2^(nd) digit together represent astate of production, the 3^(rd) and 4^(th) digit together represent aplant number and the 5^(th) and 6^(th) digit together represent a workshift number. In one aspect, a solution can include: (1_1, 2_1) denotingCA, (1_1, 2_2) denoting TX, (1_2, 2_1) denoting FL, (3_1, 4_1) denotingplant #1 in the specified state, (3_1, 4_2) denoting plant #2 in thespecified state, (3_2, 4_1) denoting plant #3 in the specified state,(5_1, 6_1) denoting work shift #1 in the specified plant, (5_1, 6_2)denoting work shift #2 in the specified plant, and (5_2, 6_1) denotingwork shift #3 in the specified plant. In this solution, (1_1, 2_1, 3_1,4_1, 5_1, 6_1, . . . ) represents (CA, plant 1, work shift 1), (1_2,2_1, 3_1, 4_2, 5_1, 6_1, . . . ) represents (FL, plant 2, work shift 1). . . . In one non-limiting embodiment, one way to represent an examplehaving 8 attributes by 8 digits, where each attribute has 3 values andwith k=3, is to let each digit represent 1 attribute.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary tree diagram 800 for determining whether anumeric digit can include a maximum number of encoded dot patternvalues, according to one embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 8, treediagram 800 illustrates an exemplary search algorithm for an encodingdetermination. In some embodiments, at block 802 processor 1201 firstchecks if the 8 digits are separable into to 2 groups, (k, k⁷). That is,processor 1201 can use 1 digit to represent 1 or several attributes anduse the other 7 digits as a group to represent the remaining attributes.Block 804 represents a valid branch where the remaining attributes areseparable into two groups. If the 8 digits are separable into twogroups, processor 1201 further checks to see whether it can separate the7-digit-group into two groups (thus resulting in 1 group “k” from block802, and the second group “k⁷” now split into “k⁶” and “k”). Again, eachk group represents some attributes. In the invalid branch 806, k⁸ fromblock 802 could not be represented in only two groups. Therefore atblock 806 processor 1201 tests whether the 8 attributes can berepresented in two groups of k² and k⁶. Iterative search steps 3 to 7(808, collectively) demonstrate the similar iterative steps on both ofvalid branch 804 and invalid branch 806. Processor 1201 can stopsearching when it can not further break down any group of digits, asshown at blocks 810 and 812, respectively.

Referring again to FIG. 7, in block 710, processor 1201 can evaluate aminimum dot-matrix grid size by increasing the dot-matrix grid sizeresponsive to determining that the maximum number of encoded dot patternvalues is greater than a number of the plurality of values for each ofthe product information attributes.

In block 712, processor 1201 can output a dot pattern code map based onthe minimum dot-matrix grid size. In some aspects, the dot pattern codemap is indicative of a relationship between each of the productinformation attributes and the plurality of values for each of theproduct information attributes. In some embodiments, processor 1201 mayoutput a separate dot pattern code map for a plurality of dot-matrixgrid sizes ranging from the minimum dot-matrix grid size to apredetermined maximum dot-matrix grid size.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method 900 for encodingdot-matrix product information, according to one or more embodiments.Referring now to FIG. 9, after an initial start step 902, processor 1201can output a request for user input indicative of a dot-matrix gridsize, as shown in block 904.

In block 906, processor 1201 can receive the user input indicative ofthe dot-matrix grid size and evaluate a dot pattern variation level ofthe dot-matrix based on the dot-matrix grid size.

In block 908, processor 1201 can next output a request for user inputindicative of a plurality of product information attributes.

In block 910, processor 1201 can receive a plurality of productinformation attributes. Processor 1201 may then create, for everyalpha-numeric digit, an encoding structure. The encoding structure isindicative of a plurality of product information attributes and aplurality of values for each of the product information attributes.

In block 912, processor 1201 can determine whether an alpha-numericdigit having a minimum number of encoded dot pattern values for the userinput grid size is equal to or greater than the plurality productinformation attributes.

In block 914, processor 1201 can evaluate a minimum dot-matrix grid sizeby increasing the dot-matrix grid size responsive to determining thatthe maximum number of encoded dot pattern values is greater than anumber of the plurality of values for each of the product informationattributes, and output a dot pattern code map based on the minimumdot-matrix grid size. In some aspects, the dot pattern code map isindicative of a relationship between each of the product informationattributes and the plurality of values for each of the productinformation attributes.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary method 1000 for decoding dot-matrix productinformation, according to one embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 10,after an initial start step 1001, in block 1002, processor 1201 canretrieve an encoding structure indicative of a plurality of productinformation attributes and a plurality of values for each of the productinformation attributes.

In block 1004, processor 1201 can evaluate dot-matrix grid size based ona dot pattern variation level of the dot-matrix.

In block 1006, processor 1201 can determine whether an alpha-numericdigit can include a minimum number of encoded dot pattern values toencode each of the plurality product information attributes.

In block 1008, processor 1201 can evaluate a minimum dot-matrix gridsize by decreasing the dot-matrix grid size responsive to determiningthat minimum number of encoded dot pattern values cannot encode each ofthe plurality of product information attributes.

In block 1010, processor 1201 can output a dot pattern code map based onthe minimum dot-matrix grid size. In some aspects, the dot pattern codemap is indicative of a relationship between each of the productinformation attributes and the plurality of values for each of theproduct information attributes. Each alpha-numeric digit can encode allof the plurality of product information attributes.

FIG. 11 depicts another exemplary method for decoding dot-matrix productinformation, according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, after aninitial start step 1101, in block 1102 processor 1201 can read, via aprocessor connected to an input device (such as, for example, inputdevice 1204, FIG. 12), an alpha-numeric digit having a dot-matrix gridsize for a dot-matrix. Input device 1204 can be an optical scanningdevice, machine vision input, etc. According to some embodiments, thedot-matrix grid size is greater than a number of the plurality of valuesfor each of the product information attributes.

Referring again to FIG. 11, in block 1104, processor 1201 can read analpha-numeric digit having a dot-matrix grid size, and determine adot-matrix dot pattern variation level of the alpha-numeric digit basedon the dot-matrix grid size. In some aspects, the alpha-numeric digit ofthe dot-matrix product information includes an encoding structureindicative of a plurality of product information attributes and aplurality of values for each of the plurality of product informationattributes. The encoding structure is based on a dot-matrix dot patternvariation level indicative of a minimum k number of possible dot patternvariations of a digit that are human-readable using the dot-matrix gridsize, according to some embodiments. In other aspects, the dot-matrixdot pattern variation level is indicative of a maximum number of encodeddot pattern variations among a plurality of possible dot patternvariations for a dot-matrix alpha-numeric digit. The maximum number ofencoded dot pattern values for the plurality product informationattributes is less than or equal to a number of the plurality of valuesfor each of the product information attributes, according to someembodiments.

According to other embodiments, all of the dot-matrix productinformation is encoded in a single alpha-numeric digit. For example, asingle digit may include a sufficient number of dots (due to a largergrid size) to encode a plurality of product information attributes in asingle digit. Accordingly, each of the digits in a date code may containall attributes needed to identify the product information.

In other aspects, in block 1106, processor 1201 can then compare thedot-matrix dot pattern variation level to a plurality of dot-matrix dotpattern code maps to determine a dot-matrix grid size having encodeddot-matrix product information. The dot pattern code maps may be storedin an operatively connected storage device (such as, for example memory1202 or database 1221, FIG. 12.

Referring again to FIG. 11, in block 1108, processor 1201 can select,based on the dot pattern variation level of the alpha-numeric digit, adot pattern code map indicative of a relationship between each of aplurality of product information attributes and the plurality of valuesfor each of the product information attributes.

In block 1110, processor 1201 outputs a decoded dot-matrix productinformation based on the alpha-numeric digit and the selected dotpattern code map.

FIG. 12 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary computing environmentand computer system 1200, according to one embodiment. The environmentand system described herein can be implemented in hardware, software(e.g., firmware), or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment,a hardware implementation may include a microprocessor of a special orgeneral-purpose digital computer, such as a personal computer,workstation, minicomputer, or mainframe computer. Computer 1200therefore can embody a general-purpose computer. In another exemplaryembodiment, the implementation can be part of a mobile device, such as,for example, a mobile phone, a personal data assistant (PDA), a tabletcomputer, etc.

As shown in FIG. 12, the computer 1200 includes processor 1201. Computer1200 also includes memory 1202 communicatively coupled to processor1201, and one or more input/output adapters 1203 that may becommunicatively coupled via system bus 1205. Memory 1202 may becommunicatively coupled to one or more internal or external memorydevices via a storage interface 1208. Communications adapter 1216 maycommunicatively connect computer 1200 to one or more networks 1206.System bus 1205 may communicatively connect one or more user interfacesvia input/output (I/O) adapter 1203. I/O adapter 1203 maycommunicatively connect a plurality of input devices 1204 to computer1200. Input devices may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, amicrophone, a sensor, etc. System bus 1205 may also communicativelyconnect one or more output devices 1207 via I/O adapter 1203. Outputdevice 1207 may include, for example, a display, a speaker, atouchscreen, etc.

Processor 1201 is a hardware device for executing program instructions(aka software), stored in a computer-readable memory (e.g., memory1202). Processor 1201 can be any custom made or commercially availableprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a plurality of CPUs, forexample, CPU 1201 a-1201 c, an auxiliary processor among several otherprocessors associated with the computer 1200, a semiconductor basedmicroprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set), or generallyany device for executing instructions. Processor 1201 can include acache memory 1222, which may include, but is not limited to, aninstruction cache to speed up executable instruction fetch, a data cacheto speed up data fetch and store, and a translation lookaside buffer(TLB) used to speed up virtual-to-physical address translation for bothexecutable instructions and data. Cache memory 1222 may be organized asa hierarchy of more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

Processor 1201 may be disposed in communication with one or more memorydevices (e.g., RAM 1209, ROM 1210, one or more external databases 1221,etc.) via a storage interface 1208. Storage interface 1208 may alsoconnect to one or more memory devices including, without limitation, oneor more databases 1221, and/or one or more other memory drives (notshown) including, for example, a removable disc drive, etc., employingconnection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment(SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serialbus (USB), fiber channel, small computer systems interface (SCSI), etc.The memory drives may be, for example, a drum, a magnetic disc drive, amagneto-optical drive, an optical drive, a redundant array ofindependent discs (RAID), a solid-state memory device, a solid-statedrive, etc.

Memory 1202 can include random access memory (RAM) 1209 and read onlymemory (ROM) 1210. RAM 1209 can be any one or combination of volatilememory elements (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.). ROM 1210 can includeany one or more nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electronically erasableprogrammable read only memory (EEPROM), programmable read only memory(PROM), tape, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), disk, cartridge,cassette or the like, etc.). Moreover, memory 1202 may incorporateelectronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media. Memory 1202 may also be a distributedarchitecture, where various components are situated remote from oneanother, but can be accessed by processor 1201.

The instructions in memory 1202 may include one or more separateprograms, each of which may comprise an ordered listing ofcomputer-executable instructions for implementing logical functions. Inthe example of FIG. 12, the instructions in memory 1202 may include anoperating system 1211. Operating system 1211 can control the executionof other computer programs and provides scheduling, input-outputcontrol, file and data management, memory management, and communicationcontrol and related services.

The program instructions stored in memory 1202 may further includeapplication data 1212, and for a user interface 1213.

Memory 1202 may also include program instructions for encoding inaccordance with the present invention. For example, an encoding engine1214, configured to identify a dot-matrix grid size for a dot-matrix,evaluate a dot pattern variation level of the dot-matrix based on thegrid size, retrieve an encoding structure, determine whether analpha-numeric digit can include a maximum number of encoded dot patternvalues for the plurality of plurality product information attributes,evaluating a minimum dot-matrix grid size by increasing the dot-matrixgrid size responsive to determining that the maximum number of encodeddot pattern values is greater than a number of the plurality of valuesfor each of the product information attributes, and output a dot patterncode map based on the minimum dot-matrix grid size, where the dotpattern code map is indicative of a relationship between each of theproduct information attributes and the plurality of values for each ofthe product information attributes.

Memory 1202 may include program instructions for decoding in accordancewith the present invention. For example, a decoding engine 1215, whichmay be configured to read, via the optical scanning device, analpha-numeric digit having a dot-matrix grid size, determine a dotpattern variation level of the alpha-numeric digit based on thedot-matrix grid size, compare the dot pattern variation level to aplurality of dot pattern code maps to determine a dot-matrix grid sizehaving encoded dot-matrix product information, select, based on the dotpattern variation level of the alpha-numeric digit, a dot pattern codemap indicative of a relationship between each of a plurality of productinformation attributes and the plurality of values for each of theproduct information attributes, and output decoded dot-matrix productinformation based on the alpha-numeric digit and the selected dotpattern code map.

I/O adapter 1203 can be, for example but not limited to, one or morebuses or other wired or wireless connections. I/O adapter 1203 may haveadditional elements (which are omitted for simplicity) such ascontrollers, microprocessors, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, andreceivers, which may work in concert to enable communications. Further,I/O adapter 1203 may facilitate address, control, and/or dataconnections to enable appropriate communications among theaforementioned components.

I/O adapter 1203 can further include a display adapter coupled to one ormore displays. I/O adapter 1203 may be configured to operatively connectone or more input/output (I/O) devices 1207 to computer 1200. Forexample, I/O 1203 may connect a keyboard and mouse, a touchscreen, aspeaker, a haptic output device, or other output device. Output devices1207 may include but are not limited to a printer, a scanner, and/or thelike. Other output devices may also be included, although not shown.Finally, the I/O devices connectable to I/O adapter 1203 may furtherinclude devices that communicate both inputs and outputs, for instancebut not limited to, a network interface card (NIC) ormodulator/demodulator (for accessing other files, devices, systems, or anetwork), a radio frequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonicinterface, a bridge, a router, and the like.

According to some embodiments, computer 1200 may include a mobilecommunications adapter 1223. Mobile communications adapter 1223 mayinclude GPS, cellular, mobile, and/or other communications protocols forwireless communication.

In some embodiments, computer 1200 can further include communicationsadapter 1216 for coupling to a network 1206.

Network 1206 can be an IP-based network for communication betweencomputer 1200 and any external device. Network 1206 transmits andreceives data between computer 1200 and devices and/or systems externalto computer 1200. In an exemplary embodiment, network 1206 can be amanaged IP network administered by a service provider. Network 1206 maybe a network internal to an aircraft, such as, for example, an avionicsnetwork, etc. Network 1206 may be implemented in a wireless fashion,e.g., using wireless protocols and technologies, such as WiFi, WiMax,etc. Network 1206 may also be a wired network, e.g., an Ethernetnetwork, an ARINC 429 network, a controller area network (CAN), etc.,having any wired connectivity including, e.g., an RS232 connection,R5422 connection, etc. Network 1206 can also be a packet-switchednetwork such as a local area network, wide area network, metropolitanarea network, Internet network, or other similar type of networkenvironment. The network 1206 may be a fixed wireless network, awireless local area network (LAN), a wireless wide area network (WAN) apersonal area network (PAN), a virtual private network (VPN), intranetor other suitable network system.

Network 1206 may operatively connect computer 1200 to one or moredevices including device 1217, device 1218, and device 1220. Network1206 may also connect computer 1200 to one or more servers such as, forexample, server 1219.

If computer 1200 is a PC, workstation, laptop, tablet computer and/orthe like, the instructions in the memory 1202 may further include abasic input output system (BIOS) (omitted for simplicity). The BIOS is aset of routines that initialize and test hardware at startup, startoperating system 1211, and support the transfer of data among theoperatively connected hardware devices. The BIOS is typically stored inROM 1210 so that the BIOS can be executed when computer 1200 isactivated. When computer 1200 is in operation, processor 1201 may beconfigured to execute instructions stored within the memory 1202, tocommunicate data to and from the memory 1202, and to generally controloperations of the computer 1200 pursuant to the instructions.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to encoding anddecoding dot-matrix product information in the food and drugdistribution system. As described herein, dot-matrix printing iscommonly used for tracking food manufacturing and distribution. However,embodiments of the present invention are not limited to food and drugproducts or distribution thereof. By way of example only, the presentinvention may be applied to other manufactured products, such ashousehold products, products intended for use by children, and/or orautomobiles.

Although dot-matrix product information printed on product packaging,may be tampered with or damaged embodiments of the present invention canbetter preserve the full manufacturing tracking information by encodingall of the information in a select few, or even one, digit. Accordingly,some embodiments of the present invention may help prevent health and/orsafety issues through improved tracking of products that would haveotherwise become untraceable because portions of the dot-matrix productinformation were destroyed.

Embodiments of the present invention may be a system, a method, and/or acomputer program product at any possible technical detail level ofintegration. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for decodingdot-matrix product information, the method comprising: reading, by acomputer processor, a particular alpha-numeric digit represented withina dot-matrix grid; determining, by the computer processor, a dot-matrixvariation level of the particular alpha-numeric digit based at least inpart on a dot-matrix grid size of the dot-matrix grid; selecting, by thecomputer processor, a dot pattern code map that encodes the dot-matrixproduct information at the dot pattern variation level, wherein thedot-matrix product information comprises a plurality of productinformation attributes and a respective plurality of attribute valuesfor each of the plurality of product information attributes; andoutputting, by the computer processor and based at least in part on thedot pattern code map, decoded dot-matrix product informationcorresponding to the particular alpha-numeric digit, wherein thedot-matrix grid size is indicative of a number of discrete dots that areavailable for forming dot pattern variations of the alpha-numeric digitin the dot-matrix grid and the dot pattern variation level is indicativeof a minimum number of dot pattern variations in the dot-matrix gridthat are usable to represent any alpha-numeric digit in a set ofalpha-numeric digits that includes the particular alpha-numeric digit,wherein each dot pattern variation is readable as being representativeof a single respective corresponding alpha-numeric digit.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dot patternvariation level is indicative of a maximum number of encoded dot patternvariations for the particular alpha-numeric digit, and wherein themaximum number of encoded dot pattern variations of the particularalpha-numeric digit is less than a total number of possible dot patternvariations of the particular alpha-numeric digit.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dot pattern code mapindicates an encoding structure for the dot-matrix product informationat the dot pattern variation level.
 4. The computer-implemented methodof claim 3, wherein the encoding structure indicates a correspondencebetween each dot pattern variation readable as the particularalpha-numeric digit and a respective one or more attribute values of oneor more product information attributes.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the particular alpha-numeric digit encodesmultiple product information attributes.
 6. A system for decodingdot-matrix product information, comprising: at least one memory storingcomputer-executable instructions; and at least one processor configuredto access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executableinstructions to: read a particular alpha-numeric digit representedwithin a dot-matrix grid; determine a dot-matrix variation level of theparticular alpha-numeric digit based at least in part on a dot-matrixgrid size of the dot-matrix grid; select a dot pattern code map thatencodes the dot-matrix product information at the dot pattern variationlevel, wherein the dot-matrix product information comprises a pluralityof product information attributes and a respective plurality ofattribute values for each of the plurality of product informationattributes; and output, based at least in part on the dot pattern codemap, decoded dot-matrix product information corresponding to theparticular alpha-numeric digit, wherein the dot-matrix grid size isindicative of a number of discrete dots that are available for formingdot pattern variations of the alpha-numeric digit in the dot-matrix gridand the dot pattern variation level is indicative of a minimum number ofdot pattern variations in the dot-matrix grid that are usable torepresent any alpha-numeric digit in a set of alpha-numeric digits thatincludes the particular alpha-numeric digit, wherein each dot patternvariation is readable as being representative of a single respectivecorresponding alpha-numeric digit.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein thedot pattern variation level is indicative of a maximum number of encodeddot pattern variations for the particular alpha-numeric digit, andwherein the maximum number of encoded dot pattern variations of theparticular alpha-numeric digit is less than a total number of possibledot pattern variations of the particular alpha-numeric digit.
 8. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein the dot pattern code map indicates anencoding structure for the dot-matrix product information at the dotpattern variation level.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the encodingstructure indicates a correspondence between each dot pattern variationreadable as the particular alpha-numeric digit and a respective one ormore attribute values of one or more product information attributes. 10.The system of claim 6, wherein the particular alpha-numeric digitencodes multiple product information attributes.
 11. A computer programproduct for decoding dot-matrix product information, the computerprogram product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storagemedium having program instructions embodied therewith, the programinstructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to performa method comprising: reading a particular alpha-numeric digitrepresented within a dot-matrix grid; determining a dot-matrix variationlevel of the particular alpha-numeric digit based at least in part on adot-matrix grid size of the dot-matrix grid; selecting a dot patterncode map that encodes the dot-matrix product information at the dotpattern variation level, wherein the dot-matrix product informationcomprises a plurality of product information attributes and a respectiveplurality of attribute values for each of the plurality of productinformation attributes; and outputting, based at least in part on thedot pattern code map, decoded dot-matrix product informationcorresponding to the particular alpha-numeric digit, wherein thedot-matrix grid size is indicative of a number of discrete dots that areavailable for forming dot pattern variations of the alpha-numeric digitin the dot-matrix grid and the dot pattern variation level is indicativeof a minimum number of dot pattern variations in the dot-matrix gridthat are usable to represent any alpha-numeric digit in a set ofalpha-numeric digits that includes the particular alpha-numeric digit,wherein each dot pattern variation is readable as being representativeof a single respective corresponding alpha-numeric digit.
 12. Thecomputer program product of claim 11, wherein the dot pattern variationlevel is indicative of a maximum number of encoded dot patternvariations for the particular alpha-numeric digit, and wherein themaximum number of encoded dot pattern variations of the particularalpha-numeric digit is less than a total number of possible dot patternvariations of the particular alpha-numeric digit.
 13. The computerprogram product of claim 11, wherein the dot pattern code map indicatesan encoding structure for the dot-matrix product information at the dotpattern variation level.
 14. The computer program product of claim 13,wherein the encoding structure indicates a correspondence between eachdot pattern variation readable as the particular alpha-numeric digit anda respective one or more attribute values of one or more productinformation attributes.